In order to perform various tasks in their given trades, tradesmen, including electricians, carpenters, linemen, plumbers and the like, use tool belts to suspend various tools that are frequently used. The tool belts conventionally used by tradesmen typically have pouches or loops mounted to a belt. The pouches and loops contain or suspend a variety of tools, some or all of which may be needed for a particular job. For example, in the case of an electrician, the tool belt may contain pliers, wire strippers, rules, knives, diagonal cutters, wrenches, and the like. A tradesmen's tool belt when loaded with a complete compliment of tools may weigh in excess of fifteen pounds. It is known that, because of the biomechanics involved, the wearing of a conventional tool belt can stress a tradesman's back, particularly the lower back. In some instances, the stress over time can result in back injuries which may prevent the tradesman from working in the trade. In addition, a tradesman often is required to lift or move heavy objects such as ladders, pipe, etc., while wearing a tool belt. Such moving and lifting may compound the stress resulting from the wearing of a conventional tool belt. Several attempts have been made to overcome these deficiencies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,372 discloses a wide back support for a police officer. The back support includes an outer support panel of relatively stiff leather which is sewn to a resilient foam material encased in fabric. Slots in the support form belt loops so that the back support can be attached directly to the trouser supporting belt of the wearer. Pairs of horizontal slots receive other loops to allow equipment or tools to be suspended from the wide back brace.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,535 discloses a belt which may be used for support and has particular application in weight lifting, kidney support or other protection. It may be used for belts for tool holsters. It is of a construction utilizing a plurality of layers. One of the layers is an elastically, yieldingly compressible and shape-restoring material. The belt has a contracted or relaxed state memory adapted to conform to an individual. The belt has a sandwich type construction including three layers: an intermediate, central firm elastomer layer, and inner and outer layers of durable wear resistant fabrics which are preferably stretchable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,524 discloses a back support for providing abdominal and lumbosacral support. The back support has a waist band and an elastic band operatively connected to the outer surface of the waist band The waist band has a V-shape. The back support may have a tool belt operatively connected thereto. A belt may be inserted into loops mounted to the back support. Loops may be hung from the belt for supporting tools or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,448 discloses a camera bag with waist belt support. The camera bag is mounted to the belt by a second belt which is threaded through loops on both the camera bag and the belt.
The back supports known in the art are typically complex structures. Although such back supports have been described as being capable of modification by hanging tool belts or tool loops from them, there are many disadvantages associated with hanging tools. For example, a tradesman such as an electrician, must frequently work in awkward, tight confined spaces such as attics, crawl spaces and utility corridors or tunnels. For safety and efficiency, the tools must be accessible quickly. Conventional tool belts, wherein tools are hung from loops or holsters, do not position the tools in a fixed position when the tradesmen is bending, crawling or otherwise in a contorted position. The tools tend to act under the force of gravity like a plumb bob with resultant rotation with respect to the tool belt (aligning the tool in the direction of the force of gravity), and thus the location assumed by the tool is typically different from the at-rest position which the tradesman remembers. A tradesman wearing a tool belt tends to have a spatial memory of the location of each tool allowing for the retrieval of the tool without looking at the tool belt or the tool. Thus, the tradesman in an emergency situation may reach for the tool based upon his spatial memory of the tool's normal resting position. However, the tool has likely moved and the tradesman must waste precious time groping and feeling for the tool. Yet another disadvantage of conventional tool belts is that tools may fall out of the tool belt when the tradesman is crawling or bending.
What is needed in this art are tool belts having a simplified structure which have back support capability yet maintain tools in a fixed, accessible position.